Plan emerges to expand, overhaul transit system

Officials with Eagle Transit — Flathead County’s public transportation system that also provides the free shuttle service in Glacier National Park — have proposed a bold overhaul of the current fleet and system they and other stakeholders see as a promising means for connecting local residents and tourists in gateway communities to the park.

Lisa Sheppard, director of the Area XI Agency on Aging in Kalispell that oversees Eagle Transit, introduced the plan at a public meeting for the recently released Going-to-the-Sun Road Corridor Management Plan in September.

The park is still accepting public comment on the 184-page plan brimming with possible actions — some more controversial than others — for addressing challenges that have risen as a result of skyrocketing visitation numbers in recent years.

Not least among those concerns is how to alleviate traffic on the heavily used road and parking lot congestion that follows. And a possible solution to that problem, according to the plan and members of the public, would be an expansion of the park’s existing shuttle system.

To that end, Sheppard unveiled “The Mountain Climber” at the meeting.

The system is an ambitious one that she and other community allies see as a viable option, not only for addressing overcrowding problems in Glacier National Park, but also for connecting those visitors to services in outlying communities such as Kalispell, Whitefish and Columbia Falls.

“We’re really excited about the possibility of working with Glacier National Park and community partners to make The Mountain Climber a reality,” Sheppard said.

Since 2007, Flathead County has partnered with Glacier National Park and the Montana Department of Transportation through a cooperative agreement to operate the free shuttle system in the park.

However, the current system “isn’t working anymore,” Sheppard stressed.

“Shuttle capacity has not expanded along with the significant growth in park visitorship and ridership,” Sheppard said. “Having an upgraded and integrated public transit system that runs in the park, from the gateway communities of the park and within and between the communities would transform the way visitors and local residents experience the park and our valley.”

At the core of the proposal is an expansion and upgrade of the existing, aging Eagle Transit fleet.

“There isn’t enough funding [currently] to maintain the buses and many of them are old and desperately need to be replaced,” Sheppard said.

But the question is, where will the money come from?

Flathead County receives federal rural transit dollars from the Montana Department of Transportation and provides the local match to those federal dollars through one voted county mill, meaning tax dollars support the system that also provides free shuttle services to park visitors. According to Sheppard, the county pays for most of the administrative costs associated with operating the shuttle because the costs were “not built into the cooperative agreement from the beginning like they should have been.”

She added that Eagle Transit is in discussions with park officials regarding funding.

In addition to new buses — the potential funding for which is undetermined — current transit routes, stops and days and hours of operation in the gateway communities would expand, allowing riders to travel to a wider array of destinations and activities. That includes an increase in commuter runs to Glacier National Park and a redesigned and expanded transit service within the park. The Mountain Climber, according to Sheppard, would also provide the foundation for a more robust, year-round transit service and would operate as a single, identifiable brand.

In theory, the ambitious plan seems to check the boxes. But The Mountain Climber requires serious buy-in, both conceptually and financially, from partners throughout the valley — something that has already been expressed by many stakeholders.

In a letter of support from the Joe Unterreiner, president of the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce, he highlights tourism as a leading economic driver for Flathead County, adding that travelers seek out transportation options that don’t require a rental car.

“With the ability to promote a comprehensive public transportation system, tourism-based businesses can expand the markets they reach for potential customers,” Unterreiner wrote.

Officials from several popular hotels in the valley, including the Hampton Inn in Kalispell, offered letters of “full support” for the system. Written support was also sent from the Kalispell City Council, the Kalispell Business Improvement District, the Whitefish Convention and Visitors Bureau and others.

Most recently, the Flathead County commissioners approved a letter of support addressed to Glacier National Park Superintendent Jeff Mow. The letter states The Mountain Climber would “positively impact the Park, Flathead County and the Gateway Communities” by “mitigating the negative effects of high-volume visitorship,” “creating a visitor experience that is inclusive of the gateway communities,” and more.

But according to Eagle Transit’s plan for The Mountain Climber, the biggest partner and monetary spine for the operation should be Glacier National Park.

Sheppard presented the plan to the park on Sept. 4. and in a follow-up letter from Sheppard to Superintendent Mow, she elaborates, “the success of the plan necessitates conceptual, financial and logistical commitment on the part of Glacier National Park and other major stakeholders…”

National parks footing the majority of the bill for a shuttle system is not unusual. In fact, the proposal for The Mountain Climber is based on a system in Acadia National Park in Maine, which is considered one of the most sound and efficient transit systems in the nation.

Earlier this summer, Sheppard and a team traveled to Acadia, where they met with local transportation officials, Maine’s Department of Transportation and others. What they found was Acadia National Park partnered with the local public transit provider, Downeast Transportation, to create The Island Explorer — a 30-bus system that moves people throughout local gateway communities and into the park.

The Mountain Climber is fashioned after The Island Explorer.

Mow applauded Eagle Transit officials for taking the time to the park to compare and contrast systems and weigh different possibilities for Glacier.

“I am really glad they went to Acadia. So often I think the best thing we can do is learn best practices from others. From what I’ve been told, it sounds to me like there is great alignment between the park, the community, the state and other stakeholders in Acadia. That’s something we could possibly envision for The Mountain Climber,” Mow said.

Sheppard explained the two systems are comparable because outlying communities are similar in make-up to those around Glacier National Park and the two parks see similar visitation numbers. The system in Acadia satisfies local and tourist needs for getting around the park and experiencing neighboring towns, she said.

The $2.5 million annual budget for The Island Explorer is funded by hotels and other businesses, corporate sponsors, and federal and local tax dollars. But most of the budget is satisfied by Acadia National Park.

Mow said Acadia currently allots double what Glacier does to its transit system and said Glacier wouldn’t be able to match those funds currently.

“I have no idea exactly how they get that money or where it comes from, so we would have to find that out,” Mow said. “We take about $10 for every $35 dollar admission [to the park] and put that towards our system. I don’t know if we would need to increase that amount, or raise it from elsewhere or what.”

Mow added that the Corridor Management Plan, which has been in the works since 2012, specifically focused on visitation numbers in the park. He said much of the plan didn’t take into consideration other challenges in the park that could be partially addressed with a better transit system, including hiring struggles that exist partially because of lack of public transit.

“Our corridor plan doesn’t address the issues of workforce and transportation of workers,” Mow said. “That’s sort of beyond the scope of the plan that really focuses on visitation numbers, but that doesn’t mean the plan and The Mountain Climber can’t go hand in hand.”

Officials with Eagle Transit and Glacier National Park are expected to discuss The Mountain Climber more in-depth in the coming weeks.

Reporter Kianna Gardner may be reached at 758-4407 or kgardner@dailyinterlake.com.